Defined priorization process removes unexpected challenges
In any given facility things tend to change day by day. This constant evolution can make both planning and executing new and recurring tasks challenging.
By Adam C. Fahrenholz, Wilmer Pacheco, Charles Stark
There is always something on the to-do list at the feed mill. Some portion of the list is consistently made up of the same day-to-day activities: planning production, ordering ingredients, manufacturing feed, performing quality control tests, completing preventive maintenance, etc. Other items may be monthly, quarterly, or annual in nature. And certainly, there are immediate to-do items that get added to the list when there is an unexpected event such as an equipment failure. Having this dynamic list of tasks that covers a number of different areas ultimately forces us to prioritize what gets done, and in what order.
Prioritization is a skill we all develop throughout our lifetime, learning how to identify the degree of importance and balance it along with deadlines, effort, and the amount of time required to complete tasks. We do the same in the feed mill, taking into consideration the specific types of production, equipment, compliance activities, capacities, and labor inherent to a given facility. Because there are so many different variables to consider, it would be impossible to create a fixed method of prioritization that would apply across all facilities. However, there are some general concepts that are likely valuable to most.
First and foremost, effective prioritization must have at least some extent of planning behind it. This is obviously not to say that we can predict every need and therefore know ahead of time exactly where to place items on the to-do list. Rather, ‘planning’ in this instance refers to putting the organizational processes in place in order to facilitate the prioritizing of a newly identified task. This could mean creating groups and sub-groups for items. It might also include identifying which team members should be involved in making prioritization decisions. In most, if not all cases, it should involve establishing actual records of the priorities, potentially involving being a part of SOPs, job descriptions, work orders, budget requests, and even just the time-honored tradition of a list on the wall.
Every facility has to make decisions on how it will prioritize the management of people. In the context of the day-to-day operations this generally covers who is supposed to do what and when they’re supposed to do it, how to shift people around when there is an unplanned absence, and how to keep people safe while doing the job. In a broader sense, we also must think about how we give priority to employee recruitment, development and retention. In hiring, decisions often have to be made in relation to experience vs. potential and/or to specific skill sets vs. a willingness to take on a range of roles. For existing employees, thought should be given to the potential advantages and disadvantages (to both the employee and the company) to prioritizing current salary vs. investments in professional development (e.g., continuing education, attending off-site trainings, etc.) and (unfortunately, but especially with respect to labor scarcity), management often needs to establish a defined set of priorities with regards to retaining employees vs. a stringent progressive discipline plan.
Quality control is paramount to the success of any animal food manufacturing operation. Without controls in place product quality will always be at risk, and in all likelihood, it will decrease over time. With this in mind, there isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a question of whether or not quality control is a priority overall. However, prioritizing the implementation of the myriad quality control activities available to us is another matter altogether. There isn’t a single feed mill, pet food plant, or ingredient processing facility in operation that has the budget, time, or labor to conduct and analyze every quality measure they can think of. Therefore, practices must be prioritized. The first consideration should probably be the impact of a given activity. What benefit will the process realize by implementing the control, and what risk do we assume if we choose not to implement it? We should also put a higher priority on tasks that can be worked into existing routines and as such will be consistently completed. Additionally, we must assess the likelihood of utilizing the data generated to make decisions in the future to either improve a process or the quality of our products. Because even if something has the potential to be impactful and can be done relatively easily, if the information is simply going to sit unread and unused on a clipboard or spreadsheet then it isn’t worth assigning a high priority value.
Planning and performing maintenance activities can absolutely be a significant chore. But from a prioritization standpoint, making assessments may be relatively simple. Preventive maintenance should always have a high priority because it hopefully keeps worse things from ending up on your to-do list. Additionally, it is cost effective, as preventing issues is nearly always cheaper than fixing them later, and it carries the added benefit of familiarizing employees with processes and equipment throughout the facility. When it comes to unplanned maintenance (or put another way, something broke), the priority of the repair is directly proportional to the importance of the process, equipment, or component to meeting production needs. If it puts a halt to operations (e.g., the drag chain that transfers the mixed feed from the mixer to the mash elevator broke), it goes straight to the top of the list. If it doesn’t, the repair typically gets prioritized based on a cost-benefit analysis. In general, this is an acceptable practice; just don’t neglect to give it some level of priority, as items that don’t make it on the list too often become just another overlooked part of the environment.
Like maintenance, setting priorities in production often takes care of itself. Whatever product is needed most and soonest is the next one to be manufactured. Therefore, the primary goal here should be to prioritize the flow of information in order to make production planning flow more smoothly. Depending on the facility, setting order or inventory reporting deadlines by customer, feed type, delivery location, and/or other factors may be examples of prioritization efforts. Effectively, whatever represents the most difficult deliverable to achieve should take the highest priority in the planning process, with subsequently less difficult-to-meet production requirements following in order. In other words, the order that can be squeezed in anywhere may be less of a priority to know well ahead of time than the one that can only be made in a specific spot on the schedule.
In any given facility things tend to change day by day. This constant evolution can make both planning and executing new and recurring tasks challenging. And that is why it is particularly valuable to have defined prioritization processes in place. Any time that we can simplify the decision-making matrix through prior thought, the more likely we are to reach successful outcomes in an efficient manner. So, if you haven’t already, consider putting prioritization down on your to-do list.
